Back to Bataan! US Forces in the Far East, 1941-1942 (Part 1)

I am a "Boomer", an aging breed of American born in the post-war era and brought up on TV shows like Combat! and The Gallant Men. Our comic books featured Sgt Rock of Easy Company, haunted tanks, and assorted other publications now long gone. Yet despite being the son and nephew of veterans (one in the Pacific, one in Europe), neither my father nor uncle talked about the war, and would only occasionally releate some story or experience. My Dad was in the Southwest Pacific assigned as a gun director for a 40mm BOFORs battery. His war began in 1942 at Guadalcanal, as one of the units replacing the Marines. From there it was New Guinea, New Georgia, and finally ending up on Leyte in the Philippines. The one relic he kept of these experiences was a knife made by a Filipino blacksmith from an old file. I inherited it, and despite its age, it still holds an edge as sharp as any knife I've ever owned. None of this, of course, is relevant to this blog, except these were the family experiences that first brought me to look at those early battles, campaigns, and defeats. Like so many events in war, small changes could have altered the course and outcome. The defeat of the US and Philippine forces on Luzon, the Bataan Penninsula, and Corregidor was in some ways a "monkey wrench" into Japan's timetable. For nearly six months, American and Filipino forces fought against steep odds, rapidly dwindling supplies, and empty promises. In the eyes of the Japanese, the Philippines were a necessary sideshow. It had few strategic resources, being primarily agricultural. The real prizes were in the south where abundant rubber and petroleum were to be had from the the British and Dutch colonies. Singapore was a rich prize and much coveted -- a Gibraltar of the East. Over the next couple of blog entries, I will be looking at the American and Philippine forces, their organizations, weaponry, and potential. I will do it in the context of the Chain of Command rules, version 2, and their various handbooks on the Far East and even Blitzkrieg 1940.

The top photo represents the American or Philippine Scouts (PS) infantry squad -- at least a variation since there were at least three organizations between 1938 and 1942. The second photo (above) is of an early M3 Light Tank. Two battalions were stationed there in 1941. The last photo (right) is of an M1916 37mm Infantry Gun -- a WW1 relic, but still effective if used properly.